“That’s why you don’t talk to the police” - Scottie Scheffler’s lawyer bashes Louisville PD officers after the golfer's charges were dropped
The legal process against Scottie Scheffler came to an end on Wednesday, May 29, after the Jefferson County, Louisville, District Attorney's Office dropped the charges against him. The news was released by the DA at a press conference.
Steve Romines, Scottie Scheffler's attorney, answered questions from the press after the DA's press briefing ended. A reporter noted to Romines that Scheffler made statements at the time of his arrest in which he appeared to acknowledge inappropriate behavior, to which the attorney responded with the following statements:
"No. Here's what happened. He was being interrogated after the most stressful situation of his life and the officer was actually asking him leading questions and trying to get him to agree with him and that's why you don't talk to the police because they're going to try to put words in your mouth and that's exactly what they did." [0:11 - 0:34]
He added:
"He didn't have to talk, but again, he asked to talk to the officer, he wanted to explain to him what happened, but they're trying to get him to confess to something that he didn't do, and the video evidence shows that he didn't do it." [0:37 - 0:55]
Scottie Scheffler's statements to which both Steve Romines and the reporter who questioned him made reference came to light this Wednesday. It is a new video in which the conversation between Scheffler and the police inside the official vehicle, after the arrest of the player, can be heard.
Scottie Scheffler was scheduled for his arraignment hearing next Monday, June 3, at the Jefferson County Courthouse in Louisville. The hearing was originally scheduled for May 23 but was postponed at the defense's request.
DA's press conference on Scottie Scheffler's case
Jefferson County DA Mike O'Connell held a press conference on Thursday from outside the Hall of Justice. O'Connell reported the decision to drop all charges against Scottie Scheffler, ending this legal proceeding.
The DA also announced that the reason for dropping the charges is that the explanation offered by Scheffler had been corroborated by the evidence. At the time of his arrest, the world number one explained that he had misunderstood the directions he was being given, which he called a “misunderstanding.”
Scottie Scheffler was arrested on May 17 outside Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, while allegedly trying to overcome a police stop. Minutes earlier there had been an automobile accident that resulted in the death of one person, so traffic was stopped.
However, Scheffler was traveling in a vehicle identified with the signs of the PGA Championship, which was being played at Valhalla that day. Videos released in the days following the arrest show that Scheffler's vehicle only traveled a few meters at a very low speed, after which it stopped.